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Crime Reporter
Post mortem for the bodies of the five family members found by a hunter on Mavhuradonha Mountain last month was recently conducted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals as police express concern over delay in conducting forensic examinations, saying this frustrates investigations on criminal cases.
Junior Zuze (69), her daughter Moleen Zuze (29), and Moleen’s children Ever Nyamusoka (7), Joshua Wunga (5) and Pardon Mateyaunga (one) were found dead on the mountain which separates Muzarabani from Guruve.
Post mortem results will be released soon and police are still conducting investigations on the case.
The post mortem was conducted on December 2 at Parirenyatwa Hospital mortuary.
National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the developments yesterday.
The family left Manhondo Village, Mukumbura, Mt Darwin on foot on their way to Guruve, a distance of about 200km on November 3.
Investigations have so far revealed that the five were going to the homestead of Moleen Zuze’s husband, Temba Mateyaunga in Guruve.
They were supposed to arrive there on November 5. When they did not turn up, Temba Muteyaunga then phoned his father-in-law, Mr Milton Zuze.
A search for the family members was launched, but yielded to nothing until the decomposing bodies were found by the hunter.
Meanwhile, police have expressed concern over the delays in which post mortem was being conducted at some of the hospitals in the city, especially for bodies brought in mortuary for investigations.
This comes after post mortem for some of the bodies are being conducted after a month of being submitted.
Some police sources said the delay in conducting post mortem was destroying evidence and urged authorities to quickly address these issues or give priority to bodies brought for investigations.
In November last year, Chitungwiza Central Hospital issued a statement that it was going to conduct a pauper’s burial for 31 bodies that had been unclaimed from its mortuary for over a year.
In a public notice, the hospital said the bodies, some of which have been at its mortuary since July 2019, were to be buried if they remained unclaimed within 21 days.
According to the list, the identity of at least 19 of the bodies was unknown. The mix of deceased include people from old people’s homes, destitutes, accident and murder victims.
In February this year, they were reports that Shurugwi District Hospital mortuary was saddled with unclaimed bodies, some of which had become dismembered skeletons, with older bodies now just bones stored in a cardboard box rather than properly buried in a pauper’s burial, which is what was supposed to happen if families abandon a body or there are no relatives.
Authorities said some of the bones and skulls stored at the hospital were brought in by police as part of investigations that had not yet been closed.
Online Reporter